


Continue

by capricious_Bastard



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Because I absolutely love making characters suffer, GUESS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BITCHES HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 12:17:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19790716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capricious_Bastard/pseuds/capricious_Bastard





	Continue

The sounds were muted, a cacophony of white noise happening all around him.

His skin is itchy and sticky, there's sweat on his forehead and back, the tightness of his boots biting his calves uncomfortably. His heart is pounding and his breathing is shallow, there's panic reflecting in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings.

Suddenly, there's a loud, ground-shaking _bang_ in the background and he whips around to look. "Popescu!" He stands in alert, his breathing shallower now than before. "Yes, sir!" He shouted against all the noise and ran as fast as he can with all the mud and guck grounding his boots, causing for his run to become a jog. He immediately drops down and props the rifle against the pile of dirt, the hilt of the gun resting above his shoulder.

A deep inhale as he aims, and shoots. _Bang_. It makes his ears ring, but the anxiousness and panic within him isn't settled. He knows what country he's attacking, he knows who he's up against. He knows who he could accidentally shoot with all the fog from the canons and rifles. 

_Bang_.

He's cold, afraid, in fear, trembling, panicked, worried; he wants to back out, he wants to admit defeat. He wants to stop and run away. But he can't.

"Fire!" He hears the order from behind him and he ducks, his hands pressed against his ears to block out the noise. He waits for a few seconds but nothing happens, he didn't feel the ground shaking or the muffled sound of a canon firing. Instead, when he sits up, all he sees are green eyes, looking back at him complemented with a smirk of victory.

"An'stas!" He announces, the name rolling off his tongue just as it used to as he stood up and dropped the rifle to hug the other man. "How-?" He cuts himself off as he feels the blood on the other's skin and clothes, a hazy look reflected in those familiar Shamrock-coloured eyes. He took a step back, red eyes wavering and glassy. "An'stas..."

"Look out!" The Bulgarian shouted, turning their positions around as an explosion mere meters away from them scatters the dirt around, raining down on them. "I need to find you a safe place to hide." He uttered, looking around, frantically before taking Cătălin by the wrist and pulling him away in the cover of the smokey fog.

"Wait" Cătălin uttered, trying to tug his wrist back and away from Anastas' grip, trying to pull away. Anastas ignores the tugs and the pleas directed as him. "An'stas Vankov, I said wait!"

He stops, their hands dropping to their side; they're in the middle of a battlefield and yet it didn't seem like it. They could barely hear the noise or the shouts or screams anymore. It felt as if it was just them again, in that little cottage, surrounded by nature and clean air, without grey skies, or stray bullets firing, or the strong scent of blood following them around.

"What!?" He shouted, his face contorted in panic. "Can you not see where we are? What are we stopping for?"

"You're bleeding!" Cătălin answered, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You're bleeding and there's a knife sticking out of the side of your stomach!" He cried out, "Why?!"

Anastas bit down on his lip. "We need to find you some cover."

"But-!"

"Cătălin... We need to find you some place safe."

Cătălin didn't, couldn't say anything else, instead he let Anastas take his hand, their feet growing speed from a fast walk to a quick run as Anastas looked around for an empty trench safe enough for the Romanian to hide in.

Anastas kept looking, and was able to spot a small trench, far from where the activity was happening. "Popescu!" Someone shouted and all he could feel was a stab in the chest. He grunted but retaliated. He punched the Romanian enemy, pulled the dagger from the strap on his thigh and sliced through his neck, watching the body fall in a _thud_.

"An'stas..." The other's voice was shaking, tears were streaming down his face, and his eyes screamed _I need to save you_. Instead, he reached out, caressing the brunette's tear-stained cheek with his bloody hand. "I am all right." 

Cătălin immediately held him as his knees gave out, kneeling on the ground as he turned Anastas to face the sky. "No..." He whispered, "No, no, no. Please, no. An'stas, no!"

"I said that I am fine, did I not?"

"Be quiet!" He shouted, his voice cracking as he desperately teared off the end of his uniform. No coherent thoughts were forming in his head as he tried to tie the fabric around the other's torso, muttering to himself repeatedly, "No". All Anastas could do was let it happen, he didn't have it in him to tell the other what was so evidently obvious because he didn't want to destroy Cătălin's lovely optimism. Instead, he laid there, looking up at the grey sky and recalling the blue clarity they always saw before this started.

Cătălin cursed, placing his hands down on his chest and pressed, putting pressure as his attempt at stopping the blood.

"Căt" the Bulgarian called out, "Please... Stop..."

"No!" He whined.

"Căt, you're wasting your energy."

"No! I am not! Just- Just be quiet!"

"Cătălin." He called out, placing his hand on top of the other's. A sniff and he's crying again. "I don't want you to die, An'stas."

"I know, I know."

"But you're dying."

"I am."

"I do _not_ want you to die, An'stas. Please."

He smiled, "I do not know how to stop it." He wrapped his fingers around the Romanian's hand, "I apologize... I'm sorry."

"Saying that will not stop you from bleeding! I need to do something."

"Cătălin" he repeated, "There is no point."

"I can, watch me!"

"Cătălin."

"Trust me! I can!"

"Please."

"I- I..." Cătălin stops, his hands going soft, returning Anastas' hold. "I love you."

"And I do too." He closes his eyes, "Very much."

Cătălin leans down, his tears dripping on the other's blood stained skin, their foreheads pressing against the other's. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Their breaths are mixing, their lips are touching but no kiss was shared, no good byes, just the proclamation of their love for one another.

"Tell Luca that big brother is sorry."

"I will. I promise."

"I know you will, you need not to promise me." Anastas breathes in and it's shallow and shaky, "Cătălin Popescu."

"Yes?"

"I wanted to marry you."

"I know."

"I wanted for us to grow old in that little cottage."

"I know."

"I love you. I love you like no man has ever loved another before."

He sniffs, "I know."

"And I am sorry." His voice was small, his sentences were breaking off, his eyes, though they may be open, are hazy and appeared to be looking at nothing.

"I know."

"С думи не може да се опише любовта ми към теб."

"Nu-mi pot imagina viața fără tine în ea."


End file.
